LA  SENORITA 
DE  CUBA 


REVISED  1913 

WOMAN’S  AMERICAN  BAPTIST  HOME 
MISSION  SOCIETY 

2969  VERNON  AVENUE,  CHICAGO,  ILL. 


THE  ISLAND  OF  CUBA 

The  Island  Page 

Position  and  Size . 3 

Physical  Features . 4 

Products . 4 

Climate . 5 

Cities . 7-10 

History 

First  Settlers . 10-11 

Name . 11 

Early  Government . 11 

Prosperity . 12 

Oppression . 13 

Freedom . 14 

The  Republic . 15 

Condition  of  the  People 

Population . 16 

Characteristics . 1 7—19 

Morality . 19 

Education . 19-23 

Early  Religion 

Indian  Faith  . 23 

Romish  Belief . 23 

Darkness . 24 

Advancement . 25 

Dawn  of  Light 

The  Beginning . 25-27 

Miss  Barkley . 27-33 

Miss  Purdy . 33-37 

Later  Missionaries 

M  iss  Merriam . 38—40 

Miss  Haynes . 40-42 

M  iss  Boynton . 42 

Miss  Grane . 43 

Miss  Haney . 44 

Miss  Jiminez . 45 

Miss  Miller . 45 

Miss  Wakeman . 45 

Miss  Fewel . 46 

Miss  Young . 47 

Miss  Waidman . 47 

Miss  Howell . 47 

Miss  Nicholas . 47 

Miss  Wilson . 47 

M  iss  Waller . 47 

Resume 

What  Can  I  Do?  48 


THE  ISLAND  OF  CUBA 


A  VIEW  OF  YUMRI  VALLEY,  MATANZAS 


LESSON  I. 

POSITION  AND  SIZE. 

One  hundred  miles  south  of  the  Everglades  of  Florida,  lying 
at  the  entrance  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  is  the  island  of  Cuba, 
which  is  the  fairest  and  most  fertile  of  all  the  forty  inhabited  is¬ 
lands  of  the  West  Indies,  and  the  most  beautiful  of  all  the  group 
which  we  call  the  Greater  Antilles.  Indeed,  it  well  deserves  to  be 
called  “The  Pearl  of  the  Antilles.” 

A  little  smaller  in  area  than  New  York  is  this  long,  narrow 
island,  lying  east  and  west  through  seven  hundred  miles  of  sea, 
less  than  one  hundred  miles  in  width,  and  covering  45,000  square 
miles  of  territory.  Its  western  end  lies  almost  directly  south 
from  Cincinnati,  while  its  eastern  end  is  directly  south  of  New 
York  City. 


3 


PHYSICAL  FEATURES. 


The  island  is  traversed  in  the  middle  through  more  than  three 
quarters  of  its  extent  by  a  mountain  range  which  gradually  in¬ 
creases  in  altitude  and  extent  as  it  approaches  the  eastern  end. 
The  coast-line  measures  nearly  2,200  miles,  having  many  deep, 
safe  harbors.  The  north  coast  is  steep  and  rocky,  the  central 
part  being  bordered  by  lines  of  islands  and  coral  reefs.  The 
southern  coast  is  mountainous,  and  in  the  neighborhood  of 
Santiago  the  Sierra  Maestra  range  rises  abruptly  from  the  sea. 
The  highest  peak  of  this  range,  Pico  Turquino,  attains  an  alti¬ 
tude  of  more  than  8,000  feet.  East  of  Santiago  are  the  famous 
mines  of  hematite  iron  ore;  west  are  rich  deposits  of  manganese; 
north  are  the  old  copper  mines;  the  hills  abound  in  limestone 
used  for  plaster  and  cement.  There  are  a  great  many  rivers,  but 
few  are  navigable.  In  the  dry  season  these  streams  are  often 
nearly  dry  beds,  but  when  the  rains  come  they  form  raging 
torrents,  and  sweep  everything  before  them. 


PRODUCTS. 

The  wealth  of  Cuba  lies  in  its  marvelously  rich  soil,  the 
lightest  cultivation  yielding  the  most  bountiful  returns.  Sugar 
is  the  most  important  staple,  and  it  is  only  necessary  to  replant 
the  cane  once  in  seven  years,  instead  of  every  year  or  two  as 
elsewhere.  Tobacco  and  coffee  are  important  products.  The 
cocoanut  grows  throughout  the  island,  and  in  many  places 
requires  no  cultivation  whatever.  Fruits  are  abundant,  and 
include  many  varieties  of  oranges,  lemons,  pineapples,  bananas, 
and  grapefruit.  A  favorite  food  fruit  is  the  plantain,  which  is 
delicious  and  wholesome.  Vegetables  grow  in  abundance,  and 
grains  are  easily  produced.  Rice  is  a  food  staple,  but  much  of 
the  amount  consumed  is  imported.  Indian  corn  yields  two 
or  three  crops  a  year,  and  is  of  the  finest  quality. 


4 


A  TOBACCO  PATCH 


CLIMATE. 

The  climate  of  Cuba  cannot  be  described :  it  must  be  lived  in  to 
be  appreciated.  The  thermometer  is  not  a  safe  guide.  Then,  it 
depends  much  upon  where  one  is.  The  climate  of  Havana  is  one 
thing, of  Santiago  another,  of  Guantanamo  still  decidedly  different. 

The  island  lies  within  the  tropics,  and  the  climate  of  the 
lowlands  along  the  coast  is  that  of  the  torrid  zone;  but  with  the 
higher  altitude  of  the  interior  is  found  a  climate  more  temperate 
and  healthful.  In  general,  it  may  be  said  that  there  are  few 
extremes  of  heat  or  cold;  in  fact,  no  really  cold  weather  at  all, 
although  at  midnight  the  Cuban  thinks  the  temperature  quite 
northern.  Night  air  is  regarded  as  deadly  by  the  Cubans,  and 
they  shut  it  out  of  their  sleeping  places.  The  range  of  tem¬ 
perature  at  Havana  is  from  50  to  94  degrees  Fahrenheit.  The 
difference  in  seasons  is  made  not  so  much  by  temperature  as  by 
the  rainfall. 


S 


From  J une  to  October  is  the  rainy  season,  and  from  November 
to  May  the  dry  season,  although  rain  falls  every  month  in  the  year. 

A  rain  makes  everything  fresh  and  green  —  beautiful  valleys, 
fine  pasture  lands,  growing  sugar  cane,  tropical  fruits,  fine  royal 
palms,  as  far  as  the  eye  can  see.  The  Cubans  tell  us  that 
nowhere  under  the  sun  can  be  found  a  more  perfect  climate, 
more  satisfying  mountain  scenery,  more  charming  valleys,  more 
picturesque  cities,  more  fertile  fields,  and  more  delightful  experi¬ 
ences  than  Cuba  offers. 

Here  and  there  the  little  huts  of  the  Cuban  farmer,  called 
bohios,  made  of  the  bark  of  the  royal  palm,  with  thatched 
roofs,  lie  nestling  among  the  banana  trees  and  palms.  Slow- 
moving  ox-teams,  often  as  many  as  six  oxen  harnessed  to  two¬ 
wheeled  carts,  draw  heavy  loads  of  cane  along  the  fine  roads  to 
the  nearest  railway  station. 


CITIES. 


In  a  study  of  Cuba  there  is  a  strange  mingling  of  the  old 
and  new.  The  romance  of  ancient  Spain  is  found  side  by  side 
with  America’s  most  progressive  spirit.  The  two-wheeled  ox¬ 
cart,  laden  with  sugar  cane,  dodges  the  swift  automobile  on  the 
roadside.  The  narrow  streets,  the  women  with  their  mantillas, 
the  many  Old  World  associations  remind  one  of  Spain  and  its 
long  influence  over  these  islands;  while  the  thriving  commercial 
activity,  the  miraculous  awakening  along  lines  of  sanitation, 
education,  road  building,  speak  continually  of  the  introduction 
of  American  standards. 

While  there  are  many  beautiful  country  homes  in  Cuba,  a 
large  proportion  of  the  population  is  gathered  together  in  the 
cities.  The  picturesque  land  in  which  these  people  dwell  oflfers 
great  opportunities  for  farm  life,  but  the  social  nature  of  the 
people  and  in  the  past  the  necessity  for  defence  have  called  them 
into  the  towns  and  cities  to  live. 

Many  of  the  houses  and  public  buildings  are  very  old,  and 
some  of  the  cities  built  and  fortified  in  the  sixteenth  century  still 
occupy  first  place.  Since  building  material  is  very  expensive,  it  is 
much  easier  for  the  poor  man  to  occupy  the  house  already  built, 
though  centuries  old,  than  to  pay  for  a  new  one. 

The  island  is  divided  into  six  provinces:  Pinar  del  Rio,  Ha¬ 
vana,  Matanzas,  Santa  Clara,  Camaguey  and  Oriente,  the  first 
four  being  known  as  the  western  and  the  last  two  as  the  eastern 
district.  The  principal  cities  are  Havana,  Santiago,  Matanzas, 
Pinar  del  Rio,  Cardenas,  Camaguey  (formerly  called  Puerto 
Principe),  Cienfuegos,  Sancti  Spiritus,  Trinidad,  Holguin, 
Manzanillo  and  Guantanamo. 

Havana,  the  largest  of  all,  is  the  principal  city  of  Cuba. 
It  is  a  picturesque  old  place,  with  its  ancient  fortifications  and 
quaint  old  buildings.  One  writer  has  given  us  the  following 
word-picture  of  the  city  from  the  harbor: 

“The  entrance  to  Havana,  approached  from  the  Gulf  of 
Mexico,  presents  an  imposing  spectacle.  A  few  hundred  yards 
off  shore  the  characteristic  ultramarine  blue  of  the  deeper  sea 

7 


is  succeeded  by  a  narrow  belt  of  beautiful  pearl-green  water, 
bordering  the  shore  and  overlying  the  shallow  banks  of  growing 
coral  reef.  In  front  stretches  the  rugged  Cuban  coast  and  a 
full  view  of  Havana  and  its  surroundings.  The  entrance  of  the 
harbor  is  a  narrow  indentation  into  a  straight  shore-line.  To  the 
east  the  foliage-covered  land,  stretching  toward  Matanzas, 
abruptly  rises  from  one  to  two  hundred  feet;  and  on  the  point 
made  by  the  indentation  of  the  bay  stand  the  picturesque  light¬ 
house  and  historic  fortifications  of  Morro  Castle,  built  by  an  old 
Spanish  warrior  in  1640,  whose  Hying  pennants  announce  to  the 
distant  city  the  approach  of  vessels.  To  the  right  the  city,  with 
the  historic  fort  of  La  Punta  on  its  extreme  point,  lying  on  a  low 
plain,  spreads  out  in  a  beautiful  picture.  The  yellow  colored 


THE  PLAZA  IN  HAVANA 


houses  with  their  tile  roofs,  mottled  by  green  trees,  and  the 
glaring  white  rocks  and  surf,  make  a  bright  and  airy  picture  in 
the  tropical  sunlight.” 

The  bay  has  all  the  charm  and  picturesqueness  of  a  Mediter¬ 
ranean  port:  its  waters  are  populous  with  the  vessels  of  many 


8 


nations  and  many  types.  Seen  from  the  water,  the  city  is 
wholly  Oriental,  with  the  low  sky-line  broken  by  towers,  domes, 
tufts  of  palm  trees,  and  buildings,  presenting  a  rich  variegation, 
of  color. 

Whatever  it  was  formerly,  Havana  is  an  unusually  fresh  and 
clean  city  now,  and  has  an  up-to-date  water-supply  and  sanita¬ 
tion  system,  thanks  to  those  same  Americans  who  stamped  yel¬ 
low  fever  out  of  the  island. 

Nearly  at  the  other  end  of  the  island  is  the  city  of  Santiago 
de  Cuba,  second  only  in  size  and  importance  to  Havana  and 
capital  of  the  eastern  province  of  the  island.  It  is  one  of  the 
oldest  cities  of  America,  dating  even  from  the  days  of  Columbus. 
Surrounded  by  tall  mountains,  it  lies  spread  upon  the  cliffs, 
some  two  hundred  feet  above  the  narrow  bay  which  opens  south¬ 
ward  to  the  sea.  A  flight  of  well-worn  steps  leads  down  the  cliff 
side  to  the  water’s  edge.  A  quaint  old  city  is  Santiago  de  Cuba, 
with  the  narrow,  hilly  streets  and  old  Moorish  housesof  forbidding 
exterior  but  built  about  gardens  filled  with  a  wealth  of  gorgeous 
tropical  flowers.  Many  of  them  are  only  one  story  high,  with 
roofs  of  red  tile,  but  a  few  are  larger. 

Always  in  the  most  prominent  place  is  the  cathedral  or  church. 
No  matter  how  business  encroaches  or  what  changes  come,  the 
Roman  Catholics  are  too  strategic  to  move  away  from  the 
center.  They  build  new  churches  without  abandoning  the  old. 
Here,  too,  are  the  finest  private  and  public  buildings.  The 
plaza  has  foliage  and  flowers,  promenades,  band-stands  and 
statuary.  Under  electric  illumination  its  garden-plots  and 
towering  palms,  framed  by  the  white  architecture  of  Moorish  or 
Spanish  grace  and  airiness,  present  a  fairyland  picture.  Every¬ 
where  there  is  color  —  color  in  dress,  on  the  walls:  brilliant  blues, 
startling  greens,  pale  pinks,  Pompeiian  reds,  and  profuseness 
of  yellow,  cream  and  white.  Add  to  this  the  cerulean  foreground 
of  the  bay,  and  the  green,  purple  and  gray  background  of  the 
mountains  —  and  you  have  a  color  tone  marvelous  indeed. 

Could  we  visit  Matanzas,  or  Camaguey,  or  Trinidad,  or  Man¬ 
zanillo,  or  other  Cuban  cities,  we  would  find  the  same  quaint  old 


9 


town,  the  same  low,  tiled  roofs,  and  the  same  narrow  streets. 
And  in  them  all  we  would  find  the  same  unsanitary  and  over¬ 
crowded  conditions  among  the  poor. 

QUIZ. 

1.  Locate  the  island  of  Cuba. 

2.  How  large  is  it? 

3.  Describe  the  physical  features  of  the  island. 

4.  What  are  some  of  the  mineral  and  agricultural  products? 

5.  Name  the  six  provinces. 

6.  Name  and  describe  some  of  the  largest  cities. 


A  COUNTRY  HOME 


LESSON  II. 

The  History  of  Her  Home. 

FIRST  SETTLERS. 

Twenty  years  after  Columbus  discovered  Cuba  in  1492, 
three  hundred  Spaniards,  led  by  Velasquez  and  Diego,  the  son 


IO 


of  Columbus,  settled  in  Cuba.  Many  cities  and  towns  were 
built  very  early  in  the  sixteenth  century,  among*them  Havana, 
Santiago  de  Cuba,  and  Camaguey  (then  Puerto  Principe). 


THE  OLD  CHURCH  IN  BAYAMO,  CUBA 


NAME. 

Columbus  at  first  named  the  island  Juana,  in  honor  of  Prince 
John,  son  of  Ferdinand  and  Isabella;  but  after  the  death  of 
Ferdinand  an  attempt  was  made  to  change  the  name  to  Fernan- 
dina  and  it  was  subsequently  called  Santiago,  from  the  patron 
saint  of  Spain  (Saint  James),  and  later  Ave  Maria,  in  honor  of 
the  Virgin.  But  the  name  by  which  the  natives  called  the 
island  continued  to  be  used  and  finally  superseded  all  others 
and  is  the  name  by  which  it  is  now  known. 

EARLY  GOVERNMENT. 

Immediately  upon  their  arrival  Velasquez  and  his  men  sub¬ 
jugated  the  peaceful  Indians  then  inhabiting  the  island  and 


made  slaves  of  them.  The  Spaniards  proved  such  cruel  masters 
that  in  less  than  a  century  after  the  discovery  of  Cuba,  the 
original  owners  of  the  island  were  practically  exterminated. 


THE  NEW  BAPTIST  CHAPEL.  BAYAMO,  CUBA 


For  almost  three  centuries  the  Spanish  occupied  Cuba, 
engaging  in  agriculture  and  putting  forth  from  the  island  explor¬ 
ing  parties  which  carried  on  investigations  on  the  mainland. 
During  this  time  the  fortresses  of  Morro  and  Punta,  and  the 
walls  of  Havana,  Matanzas,  and  other  cities  were  built. 

PROSPERITY. 

In  1762  Havana  was  captured  by  the  English  under  Lord 
Albemarle,  assisted  by  American  colonial  troops,  and  spoils 
amounting  to  four  million  dollars  were  taken  from  the  Cuban 
city.  The  treaty  of  Paris  in  1763  restored  Cuba  to  the  Spanish, 


and  to  Las  Cascas,  who  was  appointed  Captain-General  of  the 
island  in  1790,  is  attributed  a  great  part  of  the  prosperity  which 
followed.  Agriculture  and  mercantile  pursuits  prospered  greatly 
and  many  public  improvements  were  made. 

OPPRESSION. 

After  the  death  of  Las  Cascas  in  1834,  the  Captain-Generals 
sent  to  govern  the  island  were  men  of  low  motive,  and  so  despotic 
was  the  authority  given  them  that  the  inhabitants  were  deprived 
of  all  political,  civil,  and  religious  liberty.  Taxation  increased 
from  year  to  year  and  native  Cubans  were  persecuted  until 
they  came  to  regard  the  ruling  power  with  fierce  hatred.  This 
oppression  led  to  a  revolt  in  1851,  which  was  practically  unsuccess¬ 
ful.  In  1868  another  insurrection  arose,  which  nearly  resulted 
in  freedom  from  the  Spanish  yoke,  but  hostilities  ceased  under 
promise  of  better  rule. 


MONUMENT  TO  MARK  THE  SITE  OF  SAN  JUAN  BLOCK  HOUSE 


13 


FREEDOM. 


These  promises,  however,  were  disregarded  by  Spain  and  her 
oppression  grew  more  and  more  unbearable.  In  1897  the  reports 
of  starvation  and  outrages  inflicted  by  Spain  upon  the  Cuban 
people  were  so  appalling  that  the  United  States  government 
interfered,  and  funds  were  appropriated  for  the  relief  of  sufferers, 
many  of  whom  were  Americans.  In  February,  1908,  the  United 
States  warship  Maine  was  blown  up  in  Havana  Harbor  where  it 
had  been  sent  for  the  protection  of  American  citizens.  Investi¬ 
gation  led  to  the  belief  that  the  ship  had  been  destroyed  under 
orders  of  the  Spanish  government,  and  in  April,  1908,  war  was 
declared  against  Spain  for  the  purpose  of  securing  peace  and 
freedom  to  the  Cubans.  The  contest  was  short,  and  in  July 
the  formal  surrender  of  the  Spanish  troops  to  the  United  States 
occurred.  After  nearly  four  hundred  years  of  Spanish  dominion, 
Cuba  was  free. 


PEACE  TREE  WHERE  GENERAL  SHAFTER  AND  GENERAL 
TORRAL  ARRANGED  THE  TERMS  OF  PEACE 


14 


THE  REPUBLIC. 


The  United  States  had  promised  freedom  to  Cuba,  and 
preparations  were  soon  made  for  the  establishment  of  the  republic. 
A  constitution  was  framed,  adopting  the  republican  form  of 
government,  with  provisions  for  religious  liberty,  universal  suf¬ 
frage,  popular  election  of  senators,  and  general  state  supervision 
of  education.  On  May  20,  1902,  United  States  control  was 
transferred  to  the  first  president,  Tomasco  Estrado  de  Palma, 
and  congress.  The  Stars  and  Stripes  were  taken  down  and  the 
Cuban  flag  raised  aloft.  Thus  May  20th  became  Cuba’s  Inde¬ 
pendence  Day. 

The  one  point  of  control  insisted  upon  by  our  government 
was  the  inclusion  in  the  Cuban  constitution  of  the  right  of 
intervention  on  the  part  of  the  United  States  “for  the  preserva¬ 
tion  of  Cuban  independence  and  the  maintenance  of  a  govern¬ 
ment  capable  of  protecting  life,  property  and  of  individual 
liberty.”  This  proved  a  wise  provision,  as  intervention  has 
since  been  necessary.  On  one  occasion  the  president  of  Cuba, 
seeing  his  country  in  a  state  of  revolt,  resigned  from  office  in 
order  to  save  it  from  complete  anarchy.  The  island  was  placed 
in  the  hands  of  a  provisional  government  under  United  States 
authority,  peace  and  order  were  soon  restored,  and  the  Cuban 
government  resumed  control  of  affairs. 

QUIZ. 

1.  When  and  by  whom  was  Cuba  discovered? 

2.  Where  did  the  island  get  its  name? 

3.  What  was  the  condition  of  the  people  under  Spanish  gov¬ 
ernment? 

4.  What  was  the  course  taken  by  the  United  States? 

5.  How  was  the  freedom  of  Cuba  secured? 

6.  What  form  of  government  was  adopted  by  Cuba? 

7.  What  right  is  given  to  the  United  States  by  the  Cuban 
stitution?  Has  it  ever  been  exercised? 


i5 


CHRISTMAS  CELEBRATION  IN  ONE  OF  OUR  MISSION  SCHOOLS 


LESSON  III. 

Condition  of  the  People. 

POPULATION. 

Over  two  millions  of  people  live  on  the  long,  narrow  island 
which  we  call  Cuba.  These  have  been  classified  as  white 
Cubans,  black  Cubans,  colored  Cubans,  Spaniards  and  foreigners 
of  other  races. 

The  white  Cubans,  comprising  more  than  half  of  the  entire 
population,  are  of  Spanish  extraction,  but  the  name  applies  only 
to  those  people  of  Spanish  blood  born  in  Cuba.  They  are  the 
land  owners,  but  during  the  Spanish  rule  were  excluded  from 

16 


official  position  and  subjected  to  such  exorbitant  taxation  that 
they  grew  to  violently  hate  the  Spanish  and  all  that  pertained 
to  them.  Many  of  them  became  wealthy,  only  to  be  murdered 
or  to  have  their  goods  confiscated  by  the  Spanish  government. 
Including  foreigners,  many  of  whom  are  Americans  and  Span¬ 
iards,  the  white  people  constitute  more  than  two  thirds  of  the 
entire  population. 

The  colored  Cubans  are  a  mixture  of  the  white  and  black 
races.  The  black  and  the  colored  Cubans  form  the  laboring 
classes.  The  majority  of  them  are  descendants  of  slaves  im¬ 
ported  during  the  last  century,  but  a  large  number  are  descend¬ 
ants  of  negroes  who  came  to  Cuba  with  the  first  Spanish  settlers. 
In  the  industrial  life  of  the  cities  and  towns,  the  negroes  work  in 
the  manufactures  and  trades  side  by  side  with  the  white  laborers, 
for  the  same  pay,  and  equal  skill  is  shown.  While  social  equality 
does  not  exist,  social  toleration  does,  with  friendliness  and  ab¬ 
sence  of  friction. 

The  foreigners  in  Cuba,  exclusive  of  about  twelve  thousand 
Chinese,  are  most  of  them  in  the  country  for  mercantile  pur¬ 
poses.  Many  of  them  engage  in  banking,  trade,  scientific  and 
mechanic  employments,  and  sugar  planting.  They  form  a  very 
small  part  of  the  population. 

CHARACTERISTICS. 

The  black  Cubans  are  said  to  be  more  industrious  than  the 
negroes  of  other  West  Indian  islands,  comparing  well  with  the 
negroes  of  our  own  southland. 

The  white  Cubans,  or  Creoles,  have  become  under  the  influ¬ 
ence  of  their  surroundings  in  Cuba  during  successive  generations, 
a  different  people  from  those  of  the  mother  country,  Spain,  and 
are  really  natives  of  the  island.  They  are  a  gentle,  easy-going, 
and  normally  peaceable  race.  The  better  class  of  Camaguey- 
anos,  as  the  natives  of  the  interior  are  fond  of  calling  themselves, 
are  said  to  be  the  finest,  most  valiant,  and  most  independent 
men  of  the  island,  while  the  women  have  the  highest  type  of 
beauty.  They  have  some  strong  traits  of  character,  including 


17 


family  attachment,  hospitality,  and  a  strong  desire  for  the  educa¬ 
tion  of  their  sons  and  daughters.  The  Cuban  woman  is  generally 
ignorant,  but  often  attractive  and  fascinating  in  her  dark  type 
of  beauty.  She  is  graceful,  has  pretty  features,  beautiful  hair 
and  eyes,  and  fine  teeth.  Coquettish  as  a  young  girl,  La  Senorita 
is  modest  and  virtuous  as  a  maiden,  and,  when  she  exchanges  the 
designation  for  that  of  Senora,  is  devoted  and  true  as  a  wife  and 
mother. 


BAPTISM  IN  CUBA 


Any  kind  of  work  is  considered  degrading,  and  for  one  to 
carry  even  a  small  package  in  the  street  means  loss  of  caste. 
Less  than  ten  per  cent  of  the  women  have  any  profitable  employ¬ 
ment.  Even  if  a  woman  becomes  a  trained  nurse,  she  is  socially 
ostracised. 

La  Senorita  wears  much  the  same  costume  as  does  the  Ameri¬ 
can  girl,  in  some  parts  of  the  island  adding  the  mantilla  or  lace 

18 


head-dress  so  common  among  Spanish  ladies.  She  is  fond  of 
needlework,  producing  most  exquisite  lace  and  drawn  work. 
From  childhood  she  is  carefully  guarded  by  her  mother  and  if 
she  marries  she  receives,  as  a  rule,  the  respect  and  care  of  her 
husband. 

MORALITY. 

The  sentiment  in  regard  to  the  marriage  law  has  been  greatly 
disregarded,  because  the  exorbitant  prices  charged  by  the  priests 
have  made  it  impossible  for  poor  people  to  secure  his  services. 

The  Spanish  government  recognized  no  marriage  as  legal 
except  that  solemnized  by  the  church,  with  the  result  that  many 
of  the  people  established  homes  in  neglect  of  the  marriage 
cemerony.  When  the  state  support  was  withdrawn,  the  struggle 
for  existence  began  in  all  the  churches,  and  their  power  was  great¬ 
ly  lessened.  Bayamo,  which  formerly  had  twelve  Catholic 
churches,  now  has  but  one,  and  the  effects  of  Protestant  teaching 
are  seen  in  gradually  changing  conditions  of  the  home  life. 


EDUCATION. 

Under  Spanish  rule  it  is  estimated  that  not  more  than  one- 
tenth  of  the  children  in  Cuba  received  any  education.  There 
are  improved  opportunities  for  education  since  Cuba  became  a 
self-governing  country.  According  to  the  census  of  1899,  only 
forty-one  per  cent  of  the  total  population  could  read.  The 
provisional  government  at  once  began  to  establish  good  public 
schools,  and  twelve  thousand  teachers  were  sent  to  the  United 
States  to  receive  normal  training.  The  next  census  showed 
a  decided  increase  in  attendance  of  school  children.  The  Cuban 
government  has  not  maintained  the  educational  standards  set 
by  the  Americans,  perhaps  because  properly  trained  teachers  are 
not  available  or  the  need  is  not  appreciated  or  the  expense  too 
great.  This  makes  mission  schools  a  necessity.  The  chief 
educational  institutions  are  the  Havana  University,  two  pro¬ 
fessional  schools  with  meteorological  observatories  attached,  one 
agricultural  school,  and  two  seminaries. 


19 


A  missionary  writes: 

“Educationally  Cuba  is  improving.  The  school  system  is 
instituted  in  most  of  the  towns  of  the  rural  districts,  and  in  many 
country  districts  where  there  are  no  towns.  The  instructors  are 
not  of  the  highest  order:  their  training  is  the  crudest,  but  each 
year  adds  to  the  efficiency  of  the  teaching  force.  The  percent¬ 
age  of  illiteracy  is  very  large.  The  results  of  teaching  in  connec¬ 
tion  with  religious  work  have  been  most  encouraging. 

To  educate  their  sons  and  daughters  in  the  institutions  of 
the  United  States,  England,  and  France  has  always  behn  the 
highest  ambition  of  the  Creoles  of  Cuba.  Some  of  their  educated 
men  have  reached  positions  of  influence  in  our  own  scientific 
and  literary  circles.  Many  Cuban  teachers  have  availed  them¬ 
selves  of  the  hospitality  of  Harvard  University,  and  attended  the 
summer  school  at  Cambridge. 


GIRLS’  BOARDING  HOUSE  EL  CRISTO 


That  there  is  a  great  opportunity  for  educational  missions  in 
Cuba  is  proven  by  the  eagerness  with  which  the  Cuban  young 
people  have  responded  to  the  opportunity  afforded  them  in  the 
International  Colleges  at  El  Cristo.  This  institution  was  opened 


20 


under  the  American  Baptist  Home  Mission  Society,  in  the  fall  of 
1907,  with  Rev.  A.  L.  Story  as  director.  Dr.  Moseley,  Superin¬ 
tendent  of  Missions  for  the  American  Baptist  Home  Mission 
Society  in  Cuba,  has  long  worked  toward  the  establishment  of  a 
school  where  the  Christian  young  people  might  receive  the  right 
opportunity  for  the  development  of  strong  Christian  manhood 
and  womanhood,  and  where  native  workers  might  be  trained 
for  the  work  of  preaching  and  teaching,  and  where  students 
from  all  parts  of  the  island,  and  all  classes  of  the  Cuban  people, 
might  come  under  educational  advantages  and  Christian  influ¬ 
ence  at  the  same  time.  At  the  opening  of  the  school,  102  young 
people  were  enrolled,  90  of  whom  were  boarding  students.  The 
new  buildings  of  the  school  were  dedicated  in  February,  1908. 
Over  half  the  students  are  members  of  Baptist  churches  or 
Baptist  families,  and  too  much  cannot  be  said  concerning  the 
immensity  of  the  opportunity  of  training  these  bright  Cuban 
young  people  for  future  usefulness.  The  fact  that  the  school  is 
under  Protestant  auspices  and  that  it  was  frankly  announced 
that  Christian  influences  would  prevail,  and  that  the  Bible  would 
be  taught,  has  not  deterred  the  brightest  and  best  young  people 
of  Catholic  families  from  applying  for  admission,  until  there  is 
need  for  a  larger  equipment  and  more  teachers. 

Concerning  this  school  and  its  work,  Miss  Barkley  writes: 

“The  two  large  school  buildings  are  very  fine.  Built  of 
concrete,  one  on  either  side  of  the  broad  street,  with  ample 
yards  and  grounds,  and  with  the  smaller  buildings  needed,  they 
make  an  imposing  appearance.  Then,  as  one  sees  the  crowds 
of  young  people  and  children  in  the  school,  gathered  from  all 
parts  of  the  island,  it  demonstrates  clearly  that  the  Cuban  wants 
an  education,  and  is  reaching  forward  to  better  his  condition. 

“Not  only  will  they  excel  in  the  secular  branches,  but  in 
sterling  qualities  and  higher  sentiment,  implanted  in  their  hearts 
by  these  Christian  teachers,  as  they  meet  them  in  their  class¬ 
rooms  and  daily  life  of  the  school. 

“Already  has  the  spiritual  influence  of  the  school  been  mani¬ 
fested.  Seed  that  ‘shall  not  return  void’  had  been  sown  in  town 
and  countryside,  in  mountains  and  in  valleys,  by  many  work¬ 
ers.  It  began  to  grow  in  the  Christian  influence  and  teaching 


21 


of  the  school,  and  brought  forth  fruit.  Eleven  young  people 
were  baptized  by  Rev.  A.  L.  Story,  president  of  the  school,  in 
the  river  Guaninicum,  the  morning  of  the  day  on  which  the 
schools  were  dedicated. 


“There  are  some  young 
girls  in  the  school  of  whom 
you  have  heard,  and  would 
like  to  know  more.  Let 
me  tell  you  first  of  one 
who  is  as  yet  a  stranger. 
Her  name  is  Gloria  Agu- 
lera.  She  comes  from  the 
Bayamo  field.  She  was 
baptized  by  Mr.  Story. 
Her  family  made  life  very 
hard  for  her  before  and 
after  her  baptism,  but  she 
persevered.  The  church 
to  which  she  belonged  was, 
at  that  time,  composed 
entirely  of  young  women, 
and  was  known  among  us 
as  the  ‘senorita’s  church.  ’ 
There  were  about  twenty 
members.  For  a  long 
time  they  were  very  much 
annoyed,  until  the  people 
learned  to  respect  their 
faith  and  determination, 
then  peace  came.  Gloria 
is  a  bright  girl,  and  some 
day  will  be  a  leader  among  her  people. 

“Another  girl  is  Dolores  Fuentes.  I  met  her  in  El  Caney, 
in  my  first  attempt  to  do  mission  work  in  Cuba.  In  those 
days,  as  a  little  girl,  she  gave  her  heart  to  the  Lord.  Being  quite 
young,  she  was  told  to  wait.  For  various  reasons  she  had  not 
been  baptized,  and  when  she  came  to  the  school  she  was  only 
too  happy,  at  the  first  opportunity,  to  give  testimony  to  the 
faith  that  had  never  wavered  from  childhood  until  the  present 
time.  She  is  a  gentle,  quiet  girl  — an  example  to  her  people. 

“Then  comes  Carlota  Perera — you  know  of  her.  She  is  also 
from  El  Caney,  and  was  in  the  same  class  with  Dolores.  In 
the  same  public  meeting,  side  by  side,  they  arose  and  gave 


WASHING  HOSIERY  ON  SATURDAY  MORNING, 
EL  CRISTO,  GIRLS’  SCHOOL 


testimony  to  their  faith.  Carlota  was  baptized  years  ago. 
She  attended  our  Home  Mission  School  in  Santiago,  and  was 
afterward  supported  in  the  Cristo  College  by  the  ladies  of 
Green  Avenue  Church,  Brooklyn.  Some  day  she  hopes  to  come  to 
Chicago  and  take  the  special  training  for  mission  work.  She 
is  a  young  Christian  of  exceptional  ability,  modest,  quiet,  filled 
with  an  earnest  desire  to  be  fully  prepared  for  her  life  work.” 

QUIZ. 

1.  What  is  the  population  of  Cuba? 

2.  Into  what  classes  are  the  people  divided? 

3.  What  can  you  tell  of  Cuban  character? 

4.  What  is  the  moral  condition  of  the  people? 

5.  How  were  public  schools  established? 

6.  What  are  the  educational  conditions  now? 

7.  Tell  of  the  International  College  at  El  Cristo. 


LESSON  IV. 

Early  Religion. 

INDIAN  FAITH. 

Very  simple  was  the  religion  of  the  aboriginal  Indian  races 
which  occupied  the  island  of  Cuba.  They  believed  in  the  Great 
Father,  the  Good  Spirit  who  cares  for  the  souls  of  His  children 
and  prepares  for  them  the  Happy  Hunting  Ground  of  immortal¬ 
ity.  But  with  the  extinction  of  the  race  expired  the  simple  belief 
of  these  people  and  with  the  rule  of  Spain  came  the  religion  of 
Rome,  pauperizing  the  people  and  enriching  the  priests,  training 
the  people  by  precept  and  example  to  dishonesty  and  immorality. 

ROMISH  BELIEF. 

For  four  hundred  years  Cuba  had  been  nominally  Catholic. 
For  four  hundred  years  her  people  had  persuaded  themselves  to 
trust  in  the  performance  of  rites  and  the  observance  of  saints’ 
days.  For  four  hundred  years  the  same  oppression  had  pre¬ 
vailed  in  church  as  in  state,  the  religious  status  of  the  people 
being  as  bad  as  the  political. 


23 


DARKNESS. 


Because  of  this  oppression  and  because  of  the  prevailing 
dishonesty  and  immorality  of  the  priests,  many  have  lost  faith 
in  the  church  and  are  now  Catholic^only  in  name,  some  utterly 
repudiating  the  teachings  of  the  Romish  church.  Losing  faith 
in  that  which  has  stood  to  them  in  the  place  of  religious  belief, 
many  drift  toward  the  sea  of  scepticism,  many  become  hardened, 
many  come  utterly  to  disdain  all  that  is  called  religion.  Others 
there  are  who  grope.  To  whom  shall  they  go?  Many  still 
cling  to  the  blind  faith  in  the  power  of  the  priest  to  forgive  their 


ONE  OF  “UNCLE  SAM'S”  SCHOOL  HOUSES 


sin;  many  wait  for  the  missionary  of  Jesus  Christ  to  lead  them 
out  of  darkness  into  His  marvelous  light. 

Superstition  still  exists  in  Cuba.  It  is  said  that  as  many  as 
sixty  thousand  pilgrims  visit  the  miracle-working  image  of  the 
Virgin  at  the  little  Hermitage  of  Monserrate  near  Matanzas  on 
a  certain  day  in  September,  and  many  votive  offerings  are  left 
at  her  shrine. 


24 


A  recent  visitor  says:  “To  one  who  has  been  in  Spain,  Cuba 
seems  far  in  advance  of  her  mother  country  in  regard  to  religious 
freedom.  Yet  as  we  came  out  of  the  Presbyterian  church  in 
Havana, we  saw  a  passer-by  cross  himself  to  ‘take  off  the  curse’.” 

ADVANCEMENT. 

But  what  a  delightful  evidence  of  changing  conditions  in 
Cuba  is  the  holding  of  a  National  Convention  of  Sunday  Schools 
and  Young  Peoples’  Societies  at  which  one  hundred  and  fifty 
enthusiastic  young  people  were  registered  last  November.  A 
worker  on  the  field  exclaims:  “How  few  years  have  seen  these 
changes  brought  to  pass!  A  few  years  ago  who  would  have 
dreamed  of  evangelical  conventions  or  of  general  secretaries  of 
national  Sunday  school  associations  in  the  Island  of  Cuba, 
where  then  Spain’s  iron  hand  was  still  felt?  We  rejoice  over  the 
7,500  members  of  the  143  Sunday  schools  now  established,  but 
what  of  the  thousands  of  boys  and  girls  growing  up  with  no  idea 
of  the  true  worship  of  the  Christ?” 

QUIZ. 

1.  What  was  the  faith  of  the  original  inhabitants  of  Cuba? 

2.  What  effect  upon  the  religious  condition  of  the  country 
did  the  government  of  Spain  have? 

3.  What  is  the  condition  of  those  who  have  forsaken  the 
Catholic  church? 

4.  What  are  the  opportunities  for  missionary  work  among 
the  Cuban  people? 

5.  What  are  some  of  the  evidences  of  advancement? 

LESSON  V. 

The  Dawn  of  Light. 

THE  BEGINNING. 

“  I  long  to  see  you  that  I  may  impart  unto  you  some  spiritual 
gift,”  wrote  the  Apostle  Paul  to  the  Romans.  And  it  was  in 
this  spirit  that  Dr.  Alberto  J.  Diaz,  a  refugee  from  the  despotic 
rule  of  Spain,  returned  to  his  beloved  Cuba  to  tell  the  story  of 


Christ,  whom  he  had  found  while  in  New  York  City.  But 
opposition  became  persecution.  The  priests  threatened  with 
excommunication  any  who  should  employ  him  as  a  physician, 
and,  his  means  of  livelihood  destroyed,  he  was  forced  to  go  back 

to  New  York  in  search 
of  some  one  who  would 
undertake  his  support. 
The  Ladies’  Bible  So¬ 
ciety  sent  him  back 
and  he  worked  so 
successfully  that  when 
the  war  with  Spain 
broke  out  there  were 
seven  churches  and 
twenty-one  mission¬ 
aries  located  in  Cuba, 
the  work  having  been 
taken  under  the  care 
of  the  Southern  Bap¬ 
tist  Convention. 

When  the  United 
States  espoused  the 
cause  of  the  Cuban 
people,  she  assumed  a 
great  responsibility. 
But  a  still  greater  res¬ 
ponsibility  fell  upon 
our  Christian  consti¬ 
tuency  to  care  for 
these  struggling 
churches  which  the  women  had  held  together  during  the 
absence  of  the  men  in  the  war  and  to  carry  the  message  of 
the  Son  of  God  to  this  million  and  a  half  people  coming  out 
from  under  Catholic  rule.  Feeling  this  responsibility,  the  Ameri¬ 
can  Baptist  Home  Mission  Society,  representing  Baptists  in 
the  northern  and  western  states,  and  the  Southern  Baptist 

26 


SCENE  NEAR  CIEGO,  DE  AVILA 


Convention,  representing  Baptists  in  the  southern  states, 
agreed  to  divide  the  territory  in  Cuba,  the  former  assuming  the 
responsibility  of  work  in  the  two  eastern  provinces,  Oriente 
and  Camaguey,  and  the  latter  of  the  work  in  the  western  prov¬ 
inces.  The  Woman’s  American  Baptist  Home  Mission  Society, 
co-operating  with  the  American  Baptist  Home  Mission  Society, 
has  since  that  time  sent  a  number  of  earnest,  consecrated,  trained 
young  women,  to  work  in  the  homes  with  the  mothers,  the 
children  and  the  young  people.  They  go  from  house  to  house 
getting  into  the  heart-life  of  the  people,  often  finding  the  way 
open  to  advise  in  regard  to  the  everyday  affairs,  to  set  new  stand¬ 
ards  of  morality  and  inspire  with  high  ideals,  or  to  open  the  Word 
of  God  in  homes  where  it  is  unknown  and  point  the  way  to  Christ, 
the  one  intercessor  between  God  and  man. 

MISS  BARKLEY. 

November  1,  1900,  Miss  Anna  M.  Barkley  reached  Cuba  and 
began  work  as  the  young  women’s  missionary  in  Santiago  de 
Cuba,  and  a  month  later  Miss  Effie  Purdy  reached  Camaguey 
to  work  in  the  homes.  Miss  Barkley,  in  her  first  letter,  wrote  of 
her  satisfaction  in  representing  the  young  women  in  service  in 
Cuba  and  expressed  her  joy  in  the  anticipation  of  work  on  this 
new  field.  As  a  special  preparation  for  this  service  she  went  to 
Cambridge  and  mingled  with  the  hundreds  of  Cuban  teachers 
who  were  the  guests  of  Harvard  University  in  its  summer  school. 
She  found  this  a  great  aid,  though  for  some  time  her  Spanish 
was,  as  she  said,  “much  work.’’ 

On  reaching  Cuba,  November  1,  1900,  she  found  Dr.  Moseley, 
the  missionary  of  the  American  Baptist  Home  Mission  Society. 
The  first  service  she  attended  was  prayer  meeting  and  the  hearty 
enthusiasm  of  the  meeting  welcomed  her,  as  nothing  else  could, 
to  her  new  home  and  work.  When  Sunday  came  and  she  found 
that  the  international  lessons  were  being  studied  by  the  Sunday 
school  of  Santiago,  she  felt  thoroughly  at  home,  and  when  she 
heard  in  the  young  people’s  meeting  the  earnest  voices  of  the 
young  Christians,  so  recently  led  into  the  Way,  she  rejoiced  that 


27 


she  had  come  to  Cuba  to  have  a  part  in  the  training  of  this  band 
of  young  people  and  winning  others  to  their  numbers. 

Soon  after  beginning  her  work  she  wrote  of  the  conversion 
of  Senorita  Mercedes  Grane,  who  has  since  become  one  of  our 
missionaries  in  Cuba. 


NATIVE  CHRISTIAN  WOMEN 

After  spending  some  months  in  Santiago,  she  went  to  the 
historic  village  of  El  Caney.  She  found  veritably  a  heathen 
land,  without  Sunday  observances  and  without  religious  service. 
An  old  Catholic  church  near  them  was  badly  dilapidated  and  had 

28 


no  service  and  no  priest.  With  little  opposition,  she  established 
her  work  and  so  well  did  it  succeed  that  when  fall  came  she  was 
exceedingly  loth  to  leave  the  place  and  suggested  a  weekly  trip 
from  Santiago  to  El  Caney,  that  the  preaching  service,  the  sewing 
school  and  the  Sunday  school  might  still  be  maintained.  And  so 
each  Friday  afternoon  she  made  the  journey  by  cart,  returning 
each  Sunday  afternoon  to  Santiago.  The  work  met  with  a 
hearty  response  from  the  people.  The  songs,  the  bright  pic¬ 
ture  cards,  the  patchwork,  were  new  and  attractive.  Soon 
the  Sunday  school  was  begun,  and  before  the  school  was  a  year 
old  the  attendance  averaged  between  eighty  and  ninety.  Of 
saints  innumerable  and  of  feast  days  without  end,  but  little 
of  Bible  truth  did  these  people  know,  and  there  was  much  to 
learn  of  the  Way  of  Life. 

Miss  Barkley  lives  an  itinerant  life,  with  headquarters  at 
Santiago,  visiting  and  conducting  work  in  a  number  of  stations. 
The  following  gleanings  from  her  reports  told  graphically  of  the 
work  she  was  doing: 

“Since  writing  the  last  report  I  have  had  work  in  six  villages. 
Although  the  work  varies,  in  all  places  the  house-to-house 
visitation  is  everywhere  much  needed.  Sometimes  it  is  the 
special  work,  again  the  Sunday  school  seems  most  important; 
in  others,  the  girls’  class.  My  Dos  Caminos  Sunday  school 
has  kept  a  good  average  this  year,  and  we  all  feel  glad,  for  it  was 
formerly  very  difficult  to  hold  a  class  on  Sunday.  In  some 
parts  of  Cuba,  Sunday  is  the  day  for  doing  odd  jobs,  and  the 
parents  thought  they  could  not  let  the  children  go  to  the  class 
Sunday  morning,  after  being  all  week  at  school.  But  three 
years  ago  I  began,  and  now  feel  there  is  a  better  knowledge  of 
the  great  need  of  Bible  study.  Every  Sunday  in  the  opening 
exercises,  we  read  the  Ten  Commandments,  and  now  many  can 
recite  them,  and  all  have  a  new  idea  of  how  God  wants  them 
to  live. 

“In  one  town,  my  girl’s  class  was  small — only  five  members. 
Four  were  members  of  the  church.  The  fifth  girl,  a  stranger, 
came  for  the  English  lessons.  She  began  attending  the  church, 
and  will  soon  be  baptized.  I  rejoice  that  I  have  helped,  even  in 
a  small  way,  to  bring  this  young  woman  to  Christ. 


29 


“The  most  important  part  of  my  work  is  the  hundred  and 
one  little  things,  so  small  they  cannot  go  into  a  report,  and  so 
large  the  work  would  suffer  if  they  were  undone.  And  for  each 
town  there  are  specific  duties  growing  out  of  peculiar  circum¬ 
stances  —  sometimes  smoothing  out  a  difficulty,  pouring  oil  on 
troubled  waters;  in  short,  helping  to  keep  the  back  door  of  the 
church  shut.  Training  church  members  up  in  Christian  life  is 
no  easy  matter,  and  often  people  drift  away  while  they  are  babes 
in  Christ. 

“There  are  some  fine  young  people  growing  up  amon 
us,  an  honor  to  the  country,  and  to  God.  I  am  glad  to  help 
in  this  great  work.  And  so  the  days  go  swiftly,  with  house- 
to-house  visitation,  Sunday  schools,  What  I  Cans,  and  special 
meetings.  ‘Sowing  beside  all  waters,’  with  sometimes  a  harvest, 
and  other  times  to  wait  ‘with  patience.’  May  all  be  to  the 
honor  and  glory  of  God.” 

A  year  later  she  reports: 

“This  year  my  classes  have  been  larger  in  every  town  than 
other  years.  The  Sunday  school  in  Dos  Caminos  is  now  on  a  sure 
basis.  In  this  town,  years  ago,  the  children  did  not  like  Sunday 
schools,  and  the  parents  said,  ‘Don’t  bother  with  children:  when 
they  are  grown  you  can  tell  them  what  you  want  them  to  believe.’ 
When  I  said,  ‘They  and  you  must  understand  what  God  says  in 
His  word,’  they  reply,  ‘We  do  not  need  to  know:  you  can  tell 
us  what  to  do.’  So  it  was  hard  work.  All  that  is  changed 
now.  The  children  delight  in  telling  Bible  stories,  and  learn¬ 
ing  chapters,  looking  up  on  the  map  towns  connected  with 
the  lesson.  It  is  now  a  pleasure  to  teach  them. 

“  My  sewing  classes  are  not  so  large  as  those  I  had  in  America. 
We  cannot  get  the  material  for  them  without  great  cost.  Again, 
if  I  have  but  one  day  to  a  town,  all  time  cannot  be  given  to  one 
thing.  For  this  I  have  changed  the  work  hour,  and  have 
beads,  drawn-work,  lace  or  embroidery,  painting  pictures, 
sewing  doll  clothes.  With  many  classes  and  short  time  it  is 
the  best  I  can  do.  However,  the  children  and  young  people 
enjoy  it,  and  many  come  from  these  classes  to  the  Sunday 
schools  and  to  church  services.  The  little  streams  help  make 
the  great  rivers,  and  I  hope  these  small  streams  may  carry  many 
out  into  the  broad  rivers  and  grand  ocean  of  God’s  great  redeem¬ 
ing  love. 

“I  feel  much  encouraged  over  the  year’s  work  and  think 
a  blessing  is  in  store  for  us. 


30 


“  I  enjoy  very  much  the  visiting  in  the  homes.  I  am  always 
well  received,  and  the  people  are  willing  to  hear  the  Gospel. 
As  yet  I  have  never  had  a  regular  woman’s  meeting.  The 
families  are  large  and  housekeeping  is  not  like  it  is  in  America, 
and  it  would  be  difficult  for  the  women  to  leave  home.  A  home 
department  of  the  Sunday  school  is  the  best  thing  just  now. 
It  gives  a  class  feeling,  and  a  special  lesson. 

“ There  is  a  bright  future  for  Cuba.  It  remains  with  us  to 
be  faithful  and  use  every  opportunity,  no  matter  how  small,  to 
put  God’s  word  in  the  hearts  of  these  people.” 

She  sent  the  following  resume  of  work  a  year  later: 

“Now,  as  I  begin  a  short  record  of  the  past  year’s  work,  I 
wonder  where  to  begin:  so  many  things  come  up  and  ask  to  be 
remembered.  I  have  been  traveling  most  of  the  time  this  year, 
and  since  the  last  annual  letter  have  had  work  in  seven  churches. 
In  each  of  these  I  have  organized  some  lines  of  our  woman’s  work. 
What  seemed  best  for  one  church  was  often  not  just  what  was 
needed  in  another,  and  so  I  have  had  variety.  I  have  not  yet 
preached  a  sermon  but  sometimes  I  have  come  dangerously 
near  the  line. 

“In  El  Caney  a  number  are  waiting  for  baptism  and  the 
preaching  services  are  well  attended.  Last  year  I  had  no  time 
for  any  work  in  this  town  except  the  house-to-house  visiting. 

“In  Santiago  I  visited  with  the  pastor  of  the  church,  Senor 
Ripoll;  also  had  a  good  class  of  young  ladies  —  the  What  I 
Cans. 

“From  that  class  you  have  had  two  young  women  in  Chicago 
—  Mercedes  Crane  and  Gabriella  Jiminez.  There  is  another 
young  girl  growing  up  in  this  church  who  bids  fair  to  become  a 
strong  worker  some  day.  I  am  helping  her  get  an  education. 
She  is  in  the  school  in  Santiago,  supported  by  our  American 
Baptist  Home  Mission  Society,  and  her  teacher,  Miss  Cowan, 
is  very  able  in  training  the  girls  into  strong  Christian  characters, 
and  I  am  hoping  much  for  her. 

“In  Dos  Caminos  the  Sunday  school  has  kept  up  well  all 
of  the  year,  and  since  last  April  seven  have  been  baptized.  I 
have  a  young  ladies’  class  here  also. 

“In  San  Lois  I  have  a  W.  I.  C.  Society,  and  also  the  Home 
Department  of  the  Sunday  school,  among  the  older  people. 
Many  cannot  leave  their  homes  even  for  church  services,  and 
I  find  it  gives  them  a  new  interest  in  their  church  and  there  is 
a  growing  interest  in  their  Bibles.  A  few  are  not  members  of 


31 


the  church  but  the  Word  is  bringing  light  into  their  hearts,  and 
who  knows  when  it  may  break  into  a  perfect  day. 

“La  Maya  is  one  of  the  new  towns  for  me,  and  it  is  a  new 
town  in  every  way,  for  it  is  only  three  years  old,  situated  at 
the  end  of  a  railroad  branch,  in  a  rich  part  of  rural  Cuba.  As 
yet  I  have  only  house-to-house  visiting  here. 

“Songo  and  Cristo  are  not  far  apart.  In  the  first,  my 
time  is  more  than  all  taken  up.  There  is  a  church  with  a  good 
membership  and  much  enthusiasm. 

“Cristo  comes  at  the  end  of  the  week,  and  then  I  get  ready 
to  ‘ride  around’  again. 

“A  woman  said  to  me  the  other  day,  ‘Oh,  I  am  so  in  the 
dark,  what  can  I  do?  I  prayed  to  God  to  help  me  and  it  seemed 
as  though  He  said  to  me,  “I  will  send  a  messenger  with  the  light,” 
and  now  you  have  come.  Do  show  me  the  way  into  the  light.’ 
She  is  in  my  Home  Department  and  she  has  the  light,  but  so 
many  more  are  in  the  dark.  Who  will  bring  or  send  the  light 
to  these?” 

In  a  late  report,  Miss  Barkley  says: 

“Last  November  I  began  to  gather  up  the  lines  of  work  broken 
by  my  vacation  and  the  revolution.  Over  in  El  Caney  there  was 
the  greatest  change.  The  five  young  women  who  had  helped  me 
so  much  in  the  mission  work,  were  gone.  I  have  more  than 
ninety  children  on  the  list,  and  often  seventy  in  attendance,  and 
almost  no  assistance.  I  am  training  some  ot  the  largest  girls  to 
help  —  beginning  all  over  again,  as  so  often  happens. 

“Out  in  Boniato  every  Saturday  morning  I  have  a  class  of 
children,  and  also  visit  among  the  people.  This  is  a  small 
town  not  far  from  Santiago,  and  reached  by  the  railroad.  The 
Sunday  school  in  Santiago  has  grown  this  year  in  every  way, 
and  is  listed  as  first-class  in  the  International  Sunday  School 
Association.  We  are  very  happy  over  this,  and  shall  keep  it  up 
to  the  mark.  I  have  had  for  a  number  of  years  a  large  class  of 
young  women,  the  class  from  which  teachers  are  selected.  This 
year  I  am  building  up  a  new  class.  I  am  treasurer  of  the  school 
and  superintendent  of  the  home  department  and  cradle  roll. 
We  keep  these  departments  up  to  all  requirements,  lists,  birthday 
cards,  entrance  and  promotion  certificates,  reception,  collections 
and  reports  to  the  church.  There  are  twenty-nine  families  on  the 
home  list  and  sixty-eight  babies  on  the  cradle  roll. 

“We  have  had  a  What  I  Can  Society  for  four  years,  and  now 
it  has  grown  into  a  Woman’s  American  Baptist  Home  and 


32 


Foreign  Mission  Society.  There  is  great  interest  in  missions,  and 
as  some  of  the  members  wished  to  be  specially  identified  with  this 
work,  we  decided  to  make  the  change. 

“We  have  the  Christian  Endeavor  and  the  regular  church 
services  with  many  specials  and  conventions.  All  these  meetings 
and  the  visiting  keeps  me  the  greater  part  of  the  day  in  the  street 
or  in  the  church,  but  heat  and  dust  are  of  small  account  when  we 
see  the  work  growing  and  people  being  strengthened  in  the  Chris¬ 
tian  life.” 


ANOTHER  VIEW  OF  YUMRI  VALLEY,  MATANZAS 
MISS  PURDY. 

Miss  Effie  Purdy  reached  Cuba  a  stranger  to  the  city, 
the  people  and  the  language,  and  began  voluntary  work  in 
Palma  Soriano.  At  the  request  of  Dr.  Moseley,  who  had 
heard  of  her  service  since  reaching  the  island,  she  was  given  an 
appointment  by  the  Women’s  Baptist  Home  Mission  Society 
and  began  her  work  in  the  city  of  Camaguey  in  December,  1900. 


33 


Going  about  from  house  to  house  and  among  the  schools,  trying 
to  get  acquainted  with  the  people  and  their  environment,  she 
found  friendly,  English-speaking  Cubans  who  had  studied  in 
the  United  States  or  England;  and  with  their  help,  the  first  attack 
was  made  upon  the  hearts  of  the  people,  winning  them  even  by 
her  helplessness  as  a  stranger  in  a  strange  land.  Early  in  her 
work  there,  Miss  Purdy  referred  to  Camaguey  as  being  entrenched 
in  Romanism,  of  fourteen  Romish  churches,  and  of  priests  in 
evidence  everywhere.  In  one  of  her  letters,  mention  is  made 
to  the  frequent  saints’  days  and  their  observance,  and  she 
described  one  of  them  as  follows: 

“About  noon  the  carnivalists  appear,  the  numbers  increasing 
until  the  streets  are  almost  filled  with  all  sorts  of  grotesque  people 
and  things  on  foot,  and  beautiful  ladies  and  children  in  carriages. 
The  grotesque  figures  range  from  a  simple  sheet-wrapped  and 
face-masked  form  to  all  sorts  and  degrees  of  fantastic  ugliness. 
One  old  negro  had  pale  blue  trousers,  black  dress  coat,  and  a 
stove-pipe  hat  gaudily  bedecked  with  ribbons.  He  carried 
and  played  a  mock  guitar,  which  was  simply  a  huge  fish  dried 
with  tail  and  fins  intact,  upon  which  he  played  with  another 
piece  of  fish.  Sometimes  he  used  it  as  a  flute  and  again  as  a 
whistle,  and  again  he  snatched  off  and  devoured  great  mouthfuls. 
This  will  do  as  a  sample  of  a  great  variety  of  performances  which 
filled  the  streets  with  frolic  and  tumult  until  darkness  put  an 
end  to  these  features  of  the  carnival,  in  honor  of  the  saint.” 

In  1907  she  writes: 

“Last  December  Dr.  Moseley  came  to  organize  the  church 
in  Palma  Soriano,  with  thirteen  members  received  by  baptism, 
and  two  by  letter.  These  are  all  true  co-laborers,  and  aid  the 
work  greatly  by  testimony,  the  life  they  live,  and  by  the  dis¬ 
tribution  of  Bibles  and  leaflets.  Several  others  will  be  baptized 
soon. 

“One  day  each  week  we  go  to  an  out-station,  or  to  houses  on 
roads  leading  into  the  town,  and  always  take  Bible  portions  or 
leaflets  to  distribute.  At  La  Concepcion  the  attendance  at 
services  is  always  good,  and  the  owner  has  given  a  lot  for  a 
chapel.  Some  time  ago  we  found  an  old  lady,  who  said  she  had 
not  gone  to  confession  for  fifteen  years,  but  she  was  without  God 

34 


and  hope  in  this  life,  and  rapidly  nearing  the  one  to  come.  Now 
she  is  reading  her  Bible,  and  we  think  she  and  her  daughter  will 
soon  be  baptized.  A  neighbor  and  father  of  two  of  our  girls 
goes  weekly  to  the  country  to  superintend  work  on  his  coffee  and 
cocoa  farm.  He  was  presented  with  a  Bible  portion,  and  a 
Spaniard  read  from  it  nightly  to  those  assembled.  ‘  ’Tis  good, 
and  what  we  have  always  needed,’  said  the  reader  and  neighbor, 
and  they  have  bought  and  are  now  reading  a  Bible.  We  have  a 
bright,  sweet-faced  girl  of  fourteen  years  in  our  Sunday  school 
who  rarely  fails  to  come.  She  is  very  attentive  to  the  lessons 
taught,  and  her  answers  show  they  are  taking  deep  root  in  her 
heart.  Last  week  she  told  me  that  she,  with  her  mother,  was 
ready  for  baptism.  They  are  poor,  so  we  are  planning  how  we 
can  send  her  to  the  school  in  Cristo,  for  we  feel  the  Lord  may 
use  her  in  missionary  service  later.  Many  times  the  pastors  do 
not  come,  so  we  usually  must  do  everything  in  the  two  Sunday 
school  sessions  alone. 

“Of  difficulties  and  perplexities  there  have  been  many,  of 
failures  and  disappointments  not  a  few,  but  we  thank  God  for  a 
busy  year  in  which  no  appointment  has  been  missed,  save  one 
caused  by  our  absence  when  attending  the  convention,  and  others 
from  rains.  So  with  the  promise  of  a  resident  pastor  here,  and 
of  a  church  house  in  the  near  future,  we  begin  another  year 
with  larger  plans  and  brighter  hopes.” 

A  year  later  this  message  came: 

“With  considerable  expense  of  time  and  money,  the  children 
were  helped  in  these  meetings  to  make  many  pretty  and  useful 
presents  which  were  given  to  their  relatives  from  the  Christmas 
tree. 

“Of  English  lessons  (badly  interrupted)  forty-eight  have 
been  given.  Fifty-two  other  services  have  been  attended,  my 
part  being  to  lead  the  music.  Owing  to  rains,  and  absence  of 
the  pastors,  many  meetings  could  not  be  held,  but  now  a  pastor 
resides  here,  so  all  services  are  regularly  conducted.  Twenty- 
nine  missionary  letters  have  been  written  and  a  multitude  of 
little  things  that  can  never  be  recorded,  but  which  require  time, 
tact,  and  patience,  have  received  attention.  Twenty-nine 
underscored  New  Testaments  and  more  than  a  thousand  Bible 
portions,  tracts  and  leaflets  have  been  distributed.  Since 
Christmas  the  industrial  schools  were  closed  in  order  to  visit 
every  family  in  the  town,  save  those  known  to  be  of  questionable 
character.  More  than  half  have  been  visited,  and  to  the  courtesy 


35 


of  this  people,  let  it  be  said  that  in  only  one  instance  was  the 
missionary  met  by  anything  but  the  best  feeling  and  politeness, 
sometimes  was  offered  wine  and  beer,  which  of  course  only  added 
to  her  opportunity  of  showing  them  what  the  true  Christian  life 
should  mean. 

“Since  Christmas  we  have  not  held  the  afternoon  Sunday 
school,  but  have  gone  regularly  to  La  Concepcion,  a  hamlet 
a  mile  and  a  half  away,  accompanied  by  many  of  our  young 
people,  who  are  thus  helped  while  aiding  the  Gospel  and  its 
messengers. 

“Not  a  day  of  serious  illness  has  been  passed,  nor  has  one 
been  spent  away  from  this  field,  save  those  passed  at  the  Workers’ 
Convention,  and  two  trips  to  Cristo.  One  was  taken  to  accom¬ 
pany  our  Carmen  Arias  and  the  other  to  attend  the  dedication  of 
our  noble  school  there. 

“This  small  town  sent  eleven  children  to  school  this  year, 
and  we  hope  two  more  girls  may  go  in  the  fall. 

“Carmen,  and  a  fine  young  man  from  one  of  the  leading  fam¬ 
ilies,  have  already  been  baptized,  and  another  boy  is  nearing  the 
kingdom  because  of  the  influences  there.  Thus  the  schools  are 
already  strengthening  our  work  here,  for  the  children  are  very 
happy  there  and  their  parents  are  delighted  with  their  progress. 

“Only  two  or  three  have  taken  a  decided  stand  for  Christ 
this  year,  but  I  know  that  many  Gospel  seeds  have  fallen  into 
‘good  ground’  hearts,  and  when  the  railroad  is  completed,  as  it 
soon  will  be,  and  our  church  built,  there  are  certain  to  be  many 
who  will  then  openly  confess  Christ,  as  they  now  believe  in  secret. 

“The  missionary  has  steadily  taught  that  a  pure,  moral 
character  and  a  partially  clear  understanding,  at  least,  of  the 
Bible  teaching  concerning  what  a  true  Christian  life  means  are 
essentials  before  baptism  takes  place,  and  nearly  every  member 
has  proved  true  to  the  profession  made.  Some  of  them  are 
helping  their  friends  to  Christ. 

“So  the  work  goes  on,  with  some  trials  and  perplexities,  yes, 
but  with  more  of  joy  in  watching  the  transforming  power  of 
Christ  in  the  lives  of  the  Christians  and  in  being  used  of  God  in 
helping  others  to  know  and  love  Him. 

“The  owner  of  the  town  of  ‘La  Concepcion,’  or  the  Holy 
Conception,  has  given  a  lot  for  the  future  chapel  (as  they  have 
also  done  at  one  of  the  two  other  out-stations).  He  and  his 
family  attend  the  service  regularly,  and  one  day  a  daughter, 
herself  a  middle-aged  woman  and  a  widow  with  several  children, 
said  to  me  while  visiting  her  for  the  first  time:  ‘Senorita,  what 

36 


shall  we  do?  We  feel  that  your  religion  is  the  true  one  and  we 
want  to  honor  God  as  He  would  have  us,  but  you  see  we  have 
known  of  this  religion  so  little  and  of  the  other  for  so  long.  All 
our  families  and  children  have  been  baptized  into  it  and  some 
of  them  married  in  it.  We  are  afraid  to,  and  how  can  we  change 
now?’  I  replied:  ‘Would  you  be  afraid  to  leave  this  palm 
thatched  hut  to  live  in  a  new  and  better  house,  Paulina?  Don’t 
you  think  you  would  rather  wonder  how  you  could  have  lived  in 
such  discomfort  for  so  long,  once  you  had  moved  into  the  better 
house?’  The  answer  came  with  a  little  gasping  laugh,  as  the 
simile  went  home:  ‘Why  no,  how' could  I  be  afraid  of  the  new 
house  I  want  so  much?’  ‘And  so  would  you  be  equally  blessed 
by  the  new  religion,’  was  told  her. 

“There  are  lonely  heart-throbs  sometimes,  but  if  your 
missionary  can  be  used  of  God  in  saving  some  of  these  poor  souls 
for  whom  Christ  died,  she  will  be  content.” 

Miss  Purdy  continued  her  work  until  1912,  when  she  resigned. 

QUIZ. 

1.  Who  carried  on  the  first  missionary  work  in  Cuba? 

2.  What  had  been  accomplished  at  the  time  of  the  breaking 
out  of  the  war? 

3.  How  was  the  work  divided  after  the  war? 

4.  Who  was  the  first  representative  of  the  Woman’s  Baptist 
Home  Mission  Society  there? 

5.  Where  did  she  begin  her  work? 

6.  How  did  Miss  Purdy  begin  her  work  in  Cuba? 

7.  Give  her  description  of  the  saints’  day  observance. 

8.  What  kind  of  work  do  our  missionaries  in  Cuba  do? 

LESSON  VI. 

LATER  MISSIONARIES 

From  this  beginning  the  work  has  gone  on  into  the  country 
towns  and  cities  of  Oriente  and  Camaguey,  Miss  Barkley 
and  Miss  Purdy  carrying  on  the  work  in  these  provinces  unaided 
until  the  fall  of  1903,  when  two  more  young  women  were  added 
to  the  force  of  missionaries  in  Cuba.  Miss  Mary  W.  Merriam, 
on  reaching  Cuba,  took  up  the  work  begun  by  Miss  Purdy  in  the 


37 


city  of  Camaguey  in  Camaguey  province,  and  Miss  Purdy 
inaugurated  a  new  work  in  the  city  of  Bayamo.  As  soon  as  a 
start  had  been  made  in  learning  the  language,  Miss  Georgia 
Hilt  began  work  in  Manzanillo. 

After  a  brief  term  of  service  in  Cuba,  she  writes: 

“A  re-stationing  of  workers  in  our  province  has  enabled  me  to 
devote  all  of  my  time  during  the  past  year  to  Camaguey  and 
Minas,  the  former  a  city  of  40,000,  the  latter  a  little  town  of 
1,500.  The  Camaguey  church  has  been  in  a  state  of  quiet,  con¬ 
tinuous  revival,  throughout  the  entire  year.  It  is  a  large 
family,  where  converts  include  both  sexes  and  all  ages,  from  the 
quite  young  to  the  aged.  More  than  half  of  the  Sunday  school 
teachers  are  native  Christians.  The  work  among  the  girls 
and  young  women  appeals  to  me  most,  and  it  is  very  satisfactory 
to  note  the  development  in  the  Christian  graces  among  them. 
We  have  six  representatives  in  the  Cristo  College,  some  of  whom 
will  undoubtedly  be  missionaries  and  Christian  teachers.  The 
idea  of  self-support  has  made  decided  advance  this  year,  as  has 
also  the  missionary  spirit.  The  ‘  What  I  Can’  Society  is  composed 
of  eighteen  members  who  have  averaged  a  contribution  of  almost 
one  dollar  each.  The  industrial  classes  bring  me  in  contact  with 
the  smaller  children.  Two  classes,  with  an  enrollment  of  fifty, 
have  been  sustained  throughout  the  year.  Several  of  the  older 
girls  have  been  baptized  during  the  year.  Women’s  missionary 
work  in  Cuba  is  a  ‘sowing  beside  all  waters.’  The  Lord  will 
give  the  harvest  in  His  own  good  time.” 

M  iss  Hilt  was  unable  to  remain  in  the  work  in  Cuba,  owing 
to  the  effect  of  the  climate  upon  her  health,  and  returned  to  the 
States,  afterward  becoming  the  wife  of  Rev.  D.  E.  Lewis. 

MISS  MERRIAM. 

Miss  Merriam  remained  on  the  field  until  1912,  thus  showing 
her  devotion  to  the  Cuban  people.  In  the  beginning  of  her  work 
she  says: 

“The  whole  year  is  a  harvest  season  of  souls  in  Cuba,  but 
during  the  first  three  months  we  usually  see  the  largest  results. 
At  this  time  the  weather  is  cooler,  and  there  is  no  rain,  which 
interferes  with  attendance  upon  our  meetings  so  greatly  in  other 
parts  of  the  year. 


38 


“We  have  seven  towns  which  we  visit  with  more  or  less  fre¬ 
quency.  At  Jatihonico,  our  most  distant  point,  six  persons  were 
baptized  in  the  river,  after  a  week  of  special  meetings.  The 
children  of  the  converts  were  numerous  enough  to  justify  the 
organization  of  a  Sunday  school.  A  minister  and  a  missionary 
might  easily  employ  all  their  time  at  any  one  of  these  seven  points. 
The  people  constantly  ask  for  church  houses  and  teachers. 

“In  the  church  at  Camaguey  there  have  been,  during  the 
year,  twenty-seven  baptisms,  several  from  the  Sunday  school  and 
industrial  classes.  The  idea  of  self-support  is  gaining  ground  in 
our  church.  The  call  of  the  outlying  districts  - —  a  call  that  can¬ 
not  be  heeded  until  some  of  the  older  churches  become  self-sup¬ 
porting  —  is  having  its  effect. 

“Our  ‘What  I  Can’  Society,  which  now  has  twenty  or  more 
members,  was  very  happy  to  be  able  to  send  ten  dollars  to  the 
W.  B.  H.  M.  S.,  after  being  organized  ten  months.  About  a  half 
dozen  of  these  girls  expect  to  go  to  the  new  Baptist  college  at 
Cristo.  Their  gain  will  be  our  loss,  for  of  course  they  are  the 
brightest,  and  we  shall  miss  them  much.  One  of  these  girls, 
converted  ten  months  ago,  had  dedicated  herself  to  the  life  of  a 
nun.  Now  she  is  as  strong  and  active  in  the  Christian  faith  as 
she  formerly  was  in  the  Catholic  faith.  She  brings  a  great 
many  to  the  services,  and  has  been  the  means  of  the  conversion 
of  several.  I  feel  that  my  best  work  is  among  the  girls  and 
young  women,  and  the  very  best  part  is  the  Bible-class  work  with 
them. 

“I  love  this  work  more  and  more.  The  Lord  gives  strength 
and  grace,  and  I  am  deeply  grateful  for  perfect  health.” 

And  again: 

“During  the  last  six  weeks  we  have  had  three  baptisms  at 
Maron,  eleven  at  Minas,  and  two  in  our  church  here  at  Camaguey. 
Maron  is  comparatively  a  new  field,  but  Alinas  has  heard  the 
gospel  for  three  years  and  has  firmly  resisted  it  until  now.  A 
young  convert  now  holds  meetings  there  whenever  it  is  possible, 
and  an  American  farmer  conducts  a  Sunday  school. 

“It  has  been  my  great  joy,  during  the  past  months,  to  see 
together  in  the  baptismal  waters,  two  sisters,  members  of  my 
Sunday  school  class.  They  are  among  the  choicest  of  our  young 
women.  Their  father  was  converted  last  summer  and  has  proven 
very  faithful. 

“  I  want  to  say  a  word  or  two  about  this  class  of  mine.  Since 
its  organization,  July  24th  last,  it  has  enrolled  nineteen  mem¬ 
bers.  Six  were  Christians  to  begin  with,  and  during  the  months 

39 


the  others  have  come  by  ones  and  twos  —  nine  in  all  —  until 
only  four  are  left  who  have  failed  to  confess  faith  in  Christ.  I 
feel  quite  sure  that  two  of  these  are  struggling  against  the  strong 
Catholic  influence  of  the  priests  and  their  friends.  To  our  God 
be  all  the  glory. 

“One  of  the  chief  difficulties  of  our  work  is  the  inconstancy 
of  the  Spanish  people.  Literally,  thousands  have  heard  the 
gospel  within  our  walls.  May  it  be  as'  bread  cast  upon  the  waters' 
which  shall  return  after  many  days. 

“Aside  from  the  conversions  on  our  field,  the  development  of 
the  native  members  in  Christian  character  and  ability  to  serve  is 
the  greatest  consolation  and  encouragement.  Two  young  men, 
whose  occupations  have  called  them  to  other  towns,  have  raised 
the  banner  of  the  cross  by  organizing  and  conducting  Sunday 
schools,  and  in  such  other  ways  as  they  can,  testifying  for  their 
Lord.  Still  another  renders  the  same  service  in  a  mission  in 
Camaguey.  The  teachers  of  the  Bible,  boys’,  and  primary  classes 
in  the  home  church,  are  all  natives.  The  latter,  a  sincere, 
lovable  girl,  I  hope  some  day  to  see  in  the  Training  School. 

“God  only  knows  the  number  of  those  truly  converted  to 
Himself  this  year.  From  time  to  time  there  have  been  baptisms. 
There  are  other  believers  who  for  want  of  courage  on  account  of 
the  opposition  of  relatives  and  friends  have  not  yet  made  a  public 
confession.  There  are  still  others  confined  to  their  homes 
through  infirmity,  who  now  rejoice  in  the  love  of  a  compassionate 
Saviour.  During  the  winter  two  churches  were  packed,  one  at 
Jatibonico,  and  the  other  at  Minas.  At  these  two  points  and 
one  more,  above  forty  persons  have  asked  for  baptism  within 
six  weeks.  As  I  go  from  place  to  place  for  a  day’s  or  a  week’s 
work,  the  thought  of  the  fields,  white  unto  the  harvest,  is  always 
uppermost.  If  the  people  at  home  could  only  realize  the  need, 
surely  more  of  them  would  either  come  or  send.” 

MISS  HAYNES. 

Miss  Ruth  Haynes  began  her  work  under  the  Women’s 
Baptist  Home  Mission  Society,  now  the  Womans’  American 
Baptist  Home  Mission  Society,  in  Cuba,  at  Guantanamo,  in 
1906.  Her  first  report  was  written  early  in  1907,  in  part  as 
follows: 

“As  our  work  in  Guantanamo  is  comparatively  new,  and  I 
am  the  first  woman  east  of  Santiago  who  is  called  by  the  name  of 


40 


‘missionary,’  and  thisone  lone  woman  scarcely  able  to  make  herself 
understood  in  Spanish,  this  letter  must  necessarily  treat  more  of 
hopes  for  the  future  than  of  anything  accomplished  in  the  past. 
Still  we  are  established,  and  our  little  church  of  nearly  thirty  mem¬ 
bers  is  preparing  to  celebrate  its  first  anniversary  in  March.  Our 
mission  room  very  comfortably  seats  from  eighty  to  one  hundred 
persons,  and  it  is  usually  pretty  well  filled  at  our  regular  preach¬ 
ing  services  —  the  women  and  girls  on  one  side,  and  the  men  and 
boys  on  the  other,  as  is  their  custom. 

“We  have  regular  services  and  Sunday  school  in  a  suburb  of 
the  town,  also  weekly  services  at  Tiguabos  (Tee-wa-bos),  which 


A  CUBAN  MISSIONARY’S  SITTING  ROOM 


is  about  an  hour’s  ride  by  railway.  I  conduct  an  industrial  class 
in  each  of  these  places,  ranging  in  number  from  twelve  to  thirty. 
In  some  instances  the  mothers  come  too,  and  bring  all  the  chil¬ 
dren  ;  they  are  very  interested  in  watching  the  children  sew,  and 
always  stay  to  hear  the  Bible  story  and  lesson  and  sing  the 
hymns.  I  am  thankful  that  so  many  of  our  dear  old  gospel  hymns 
are  translated  in  Spanish  and  we  use  the  same  music.  I  have 
but  just  returned  this  afternoon  from  my  smallest  class,  which 
is  held  in  the  home  of  the  mother  of  a  large  family  of  boys.  This 


41 


mother  has  recently  expressed  her  desire  to  be  a  Christian,  and 
seems  to  be  reaching  out  for  the  better  things  of  life.  Ten  were 
present  in  my  class  who  were  large  enough  to  sew;  the  smaller 
ones  ran  about  the  house  at  will,  as  do  the  hens,  dogs,  goats,  and 
an  occasional  pig  or  other  animal.  The  children  are  very  quick 
to  learn  the  use  of  the  needle. 

“The  people  invariably  receive  me  very  cordially,  and  usually, 
by  word,  place  their  houses  and  themselves  at  my  disposal.” 

At  the  opening  of  the  new  International  Colleges  of  the 
American  Baptist  Home  Mission  Society,  Miss  Haynes  was 
transferred,  at  the  urgent  request  of  Dr.  Moseley,  to  El  Cristo, 
where  she  served  as  preceptress  of  the  girls’  department  and 
was  the  friend  and  helper  of  the  young  women  of  this  school. 
She  had  a  great  opportunity  to  exercise  a  lasting  influence  in 
these  lives. 

Miss  Haynes  has  since  retired  from  the  mission  field  in 
Cuba,  but  her  work  endures. 

MISS  BOYNTON. 

Miss  Beulah  Boynton,  who  graduated  from  the  Baptist 
Missionary  Training  School  in  1907,  and  went  at  once  to  Cuba 
to  work  in  Manzanillo,  was  forced,  after  a  long  and  serious  illness, 
to  leave  Cuba  to  regain  her  health.  Though  her  period  of  service 
was  thus  shortened,  she  accomplished  much  definite  work,  and 
won  her  way  into  the  hearts  of  the  Cubans.  From  one 
of  her  letters  we  quote  as  follows:  “Many  Gospels  and  tracts 
have  been  given  to  the  people,  who  generally  took  them  gladly. 
We  pray  that  the  word  of  God  may  touch  many  hearts  and 
bring  forth  fruit  to  his  glory.  As  I  could  read  Spanish  much 
better  than  I  could  speak,  it  has  been  a  great  privilege  to  read  to 
some  who  wished  to  hear,  but  could  not  read  for  themselves, 
the  Word  of  Life.” 


MISS  HANEY. 

Miss  Elizabeth  Haney,  who  had  worked  in  Mexico  under 
our  society  for  over  three  years,  was  transferred  in  1906  to 
Santiago,  Cuba,  where  her  previous  knowledge  of  the  Spanish 
language  and  people  served  her  well.  She  became  the  wife  of 


42 


Mr.  Robert  E'.  Porter,  director  of  an  academy  for  girls,  and  for 
some  months  devoted  a  part  of  her  time  to  Bible  teaching  and 
visiting  in  Santiago  and  El  Caney. 


INTERIOR  OF  CHAPEL 


SENORITA  MERCEDES  GRANE. 

After  two  years  of  faithful  study  in  the  Baptist  Missionary 
Training  School,  Miss  Grane  returned,  in  1906,  to  her  native 
island,  bearing  the  commission  of  the  Women’s  Baptist  Home 
Mission  Society,  now  the  Woman’s  American  Baptist  Home 
Mission  Society,  to  do  missionary  work  among  her  own  people. 
She  went  from  house  to  house,  comforting  and  counseling  with 
the  mothers,  ofttimes  reading  to  them  the  Scriptures,  and  help¬ 
ing  them  to  understand  the  truth  as  it  had  come  to  her;  she 
gathered  the  little  children  together  in  the  industrial  schools  and 
Sunday  schools,  taught  them  simple  industrial  arts  and  habits 
of  neatness  and  courtesy,  and  sent  them  home  with  Bible  stories 
and  gospel  songs.  She  became  the  friend  of  the  young  people, 
helping  them  in  every  way. 

43 


In  a  report  from  Palma  Soriano  in  1913  she  writes: 

“Since  November  I  am  working  in  the  day  school  helping 
Miss  Mary  C.  Nicholas.  I  cannot  do  much  of  the  missionary 
work  in  one  way,  but  I  can  help  the  children,  and  through  them 
the  homes.  It  is  sweet  to  watch  with  how  much  interest  they 
drink  in  my  explanations  about  God’s  word  at  the  opening  exer¬ 
cises  in  the  morning.  The  name  of  Jesus  has  such  a  charm.” 


CUBANS  MAKING  ROPE 


SENORITA  GABRIELLA  JIMINEZ 

The  second  trained  native  Cuban  worker  went  from  the 
Baptist  Missionary  Training  School  in  the  fall  of  1907,  to  work 
with  the  First  Baptist  Church  of  Santiago. 

She  now  works  in  three  places,  San  Luis,  Dos  Caminos  and 
Boniato.  She  writes  hopefully  of  the  situation  in  San  Luis, 
and  of  Dos  Caminos  says: 

“The  meetings  are  well  attended;  the  Sunday  school  is 
increasing  in  numbers.  The  children  like  to  sing,  and  each 
Sunday  they  want  me  to  teach  them  new  hymns. 

“Every  Sunday  afternoon  I,  go  down  to  Boniato  for  Sunday 
school.  The  children  there  always  seem  happy  when  they  see 


44 


me  come.  I  enjoy  visiting  in  the  homes.  I  am  well  received 
and  the  people  are  willing  to  hear  the  gospel. 

“Last  week  we  held  our  convention  in  the  city  of  Manzanillo, 
and  I  felt  happy  to  hear  the  reports  from  all  the  different  churches, 
and  see  how  the  gospel  is  touching  the  hearts  of  my  people. 
During  the  year  there  have  been  several  baptisms,  and  there 
are  others  who  are  ready  to  give  themselves  to  Jesus.” 

MISS  MILLER. 

Another  to  be  added  to  the  number  of  our  workers  in  Cuba  is 
Miss  Gertrude  Miller,  who  finished  her  course  of  training  in  the 
Baptist  Missionary  Training  School,  in  June,  1908,  and  was 
immediately  appointed  to  service  in  Guantanamo,  Cuba.  Miss 
Miller  is  doing  evangelistic  work  and  assists  with  the  church 
activities  at  that  place. 

After  several  years  spent  on  this  field,  Miss  Miller  tells  of 
the  interest  which  is  being  felt  in  the  work.  She  writes  in  1913: 

“Our  cause  is 
stronger  to-day  than 
it  has  ever  been.  The 
school  which  we  count 
our  foundation  is  in 
fine  condition.  More 
than  three  fourths  of 
the  children  enrolled 
in  the  day  school  are 
members  of  the  Sun¬ 
day  school.  Our  pastor 
has  a  night  school  for 
young  men,  and  we 
feel  that  it  is  going  to 

be  a  great  help  to  street  scene  in  ciego  de  avila,  cuba 
our  church,  as  some 

of  the  members  have  already  expressed  a  desire  to  serve  Christ. 
‘Cuba  for  Christ’  is  our  prayer.” 

OTHER  WORKERS. 

Miss  Alice  M.  Wakeman  is  a  field  worker  in  Manzanillo.  She 
has  found  the  people  ready  to  receive  her,  and  many 
opportunities  for  active  service.  Another  new  worker  in  Cuba 
is  Miss  Eva  Fewel,  who  is  stationed  at  Camaguey.  She  writes: 

45 


“  I  love  Cuba  and  I  am  so  glad  I  am  here.  I  shall  be  happier, 
however,  when  I  shall  have  learned  the  language.  Cuba  is 
such  a  needy  held.  How  indifferent  are  the  people,  yet  there 
are  some  who  are  true.  Just  the  other  day  a  poor  old  senora 
was  dying  and  sent  for  us.  Her  children  had  tried  to  get  her  to 
confess  to  the  priest,  but  she  would  not.  The  Master  Himself 
would  be  her  mediator,  so  she  believed.  Oh!  may  we  who  are 
His  be  more  earnest  in  hastening  the  day  when  His  Kingdom 
shall  come  and  His  will  be  done  here  on  earth  as  it  is  in  heaven.” 


CUBAN  BOYS  IN  ONE  OF  “UNCLE  SAM’S”  SCHOOLS 


TEACHERS. 

Miss  Mabel  V.  Young  is  in  charge  of  the  girls  in  our 
‘‘Colegios  Internacionales”  at  El.  Cristo.  Miss  Merriam,  the 
former  principal  and  one  of  the  early  Cuban  workers,  was  unable 
to  return  on  account  of  the  ill  health  of  her  mother.  Several  of 
the  girls  in  this  school  have  expressed  a  desire  to  become  mis¬ 
sionaries  to  their  own  people,  and  four  of  the  young  men  are  about 
to  graduate  from  the  theological  course. 

46 


Miss  Isabel  Waidman  is  a  teacher  in  the  Iglesia  Bautista, 
at  Santiago,  and  the  reports  of  her  work  are  hopeful  and  interest¬ 
ing.  Miss  Maggie  Howell  writes  from  Guantanamo: 

“Our  school  still  seems  to  be  in  demand.  Since  January 
we  have  had  to  refuse  forty  for  lack  of  room.  It  does  seem  a 
pity  when  we  have  an  opportunity  of  reaching  so  many  more 
with  the  gospel  that  we  cannot  do  so.  Our  day  school  is  well 
represented  in  the  Sunday  school,  and  a  number  have  expressed 
a  desire  to  give  their  hearts  to  Jesus.” 

Miss  Mary  C.  Nicholas  at  Palma  Soriano  is  another  who 
expresses  her  joy  in  being  permitted  to  work  for  the  Master. 
She  says; 

“One  of  my  greatest  joys  is  to  note  the  improvement  in  the 
lives  of  these  dear  children  and  to  watch  them  develop  little  by 
little  into  the  likeness  of  the  ideal  character  being  held  up  before 
them. 

“At  present  our  schools  are  crowded  to  the  utmost,  and  we 
are  obliged  to  use  crudely  constructed  desks  to  accommodate  the 
new  pupils.  We  have  had  to  refuse  admittance  to  others  for  lack 
of  room.  The  prospects  for  the  next  year  are  very  good,  and 
we  are  hoping  to  be  able  to  accept  all  who  wish  to  enter.  We 
have  been  warmly  welcomed  in  the  homes,  and  find  many  of 
the  people  disposed  to  favor  our  religion.  One  man  said,  “If 
I  were  anything,  I  would  be  a  Protestant,  for  I  see  that  you  are 
living  what  I  think  is  the  right  kind  of  a  life.” 

Miss  Nora  Wilson  is  teaching  in  our  Baptist  school  in  Ca- 
maguey.  She  reports  the  attendance  as  rather  small,  the  aver¬ 
age  being  twenty  or  twenty-one,  but  as  this  is  the  first  year 
for  the  school,  she  feels  sure  that  it  will  grow  and  increase  in 
usefulness.  She  is  much  pleased  with  the  work  of  the  pupils, 
and  with  the  co-operation  of  the  parents. 

Miss  Nellie  Waller  is  a  teacher  at  Manzanillo.  She  writes: 

“A  year  ago  last  September  a  primary  school  was  opened  in 
Manzanillo  with  only  ten  pupils.  We  worked  under  many 
difficulties,  for  all  the  year  the  people  seemed  to  be  afraid  of  us. 
They  did  not  want  to  send  their  children  to  the  ‘protestant 
school.’  When  the  session  opened  this  year  in  September,  we 
had  enrolled  twenty  children.  Now  we  have  thirty-five. 

“Until  the  first  of  February  I  had  been  alone.  Now  I  have  a 
Cuban  assistant.  I  am  sure  some  of  my  explanations  must 


47 


have  amused  the  children  greatly.  One  cannot  thoroughly 
learn  a  language  in  a  year.  However,  I  have  been  able  to  make 
the  pupils  understand  me,  and  they  in  turn  have  been  a  great  help 
to  me. 

“The  children  like  the  Bible  stories  very  much.  Last  month 
we  had  the  life  of  Joseph.  The  interest  was  wonderful.  One 
day  as  I  closed  my  Bible,  a  boy  said,  ‘Senorita,  if  we  remain 
after  school  this  evening,  will  you  finish  the  story?’  The 
children  said,  ‘Si,  senorita,  si,’  meaning  yes,  they  would  all 
stay  to  hear  the  story.  They  have  listened  with  equal  interest 
to  many  other  stories.  There  are  .some  children  who  come  from 
very  strict  Catholic  homes,  and  although  they  ‘cross  them¬ 
selves’  while  the  Bible  is  being  read,  they  are  very  much  inter¬ 
ested.  Last  year  only  two  of  my  day  pupils  attended  Sunday 
school,  but  this  year  I  have  nine  of  them  in  my  Sunday 
school  class. 


QUIZ. 

1.  Who  were  the  first  missionaries  sent  to  help  Miss  Barkley 
and  Miss  Purdy? 

2.  Tell  of  Miss  Hilt’s  work. 

3.  What  were  some  of  the  lines  of  work  accomplished  by 
Miss  Merriam? 

4.  When  and  by  whom  was  missionary  endeavor  established 
at  Guantanamo? 

5.  Tell  of  the  work  of  our  two  native  Cuban  missionaries. 

6.  What  are  other  field  workers  doing? 

7.  What  is  being  done  by  our  teachers  in  the  different  schools? 

LESSON  VII. 

RESUME 

After  nearly  fifteen  years’  work  of  the  missionaries  of  the 
American  Baptist  Home  Mission  Society,  and  the  Woman’s 
American  Baptist  Home  Mission  Society,  in  eastern  Cuba,  we 
have  cause  for  great  encouragement  and  every  reason  for  push¬ 
ing  the  work  in  this  island. 


48 


Dr.  Moseley,  at  the  close  of  the  year  1909,  writes: 

“The  year  1908-1909  has  been  a  good  one.  We  have  bap¬ 
tized  over  400;  organized  eight  new  churches  and  five  new 
Sunday  schools;  opened  twenty-two  new  stations;  built  four 
new  chapels  and  have  two  chapels  under  construction  at  Guan¬ 
tanamo  and  Baracoa,  both  important  centers. 

“Ten  years  ago  we  had  nothing  in  eastern  Cuba.  To-day 
we  have  42  organized  churches;  48  stations;  24  men  and  7 
women  engaged  as  missionaries;  13  teachers;  2,068  members  of 
our  churches;  1,450  in  our  35  Sunday  schools;  26  chapels  and  two 


MISS  ISABELA  WAIDMAN  AND  A  PORTION  OF  HER  CLASS,  IGLESIA  BAUTISTA, 

SANTIAGO  DE  CUBA 

lots;  church  property  worth  $90,000;  school  property  worth 
$50,000;  two  flourishing  day  schools;  two  academies,  admittedly 
the  best  equipped,  and  doing  a  work  such  as  is  not  being  done 
anywhere  else  in  the  Island. 

“Progress  has  been  made  along  the  line  of  self-support,  the 
churches  paying  last  year  one  tenth  of  all  the  salaries  of  native 
pastors  and  workers.  This  next  year  they  hope  to  pay  fifteen 
per  cent. 


49 


“We  have  at  times  been  disheartened,  but  when  we  think 
of  what  God  has  done  in  one  decade,  we  thank  Him  and  take 
courage.” 

Since  that  time  the  work  has  gone  steadily  forward.  The 
Christians  are  being  trained  and  nourished  in  the  Christian  life, 
Christian  homes  are  being  established  and  the  people  are  being 
inspired  with  higher  ideals  of  living.  A  Baptist  newspaper  is 
published  monthly,  and  carries  Christian  truth  into  the  homes 
of  the  people.  The  visits  of  our  young  women  missionaries  in 
the  homes,  and  their  work  with  the  children  and  the  young 
people,  is  an  influence  which  is  of  untold  value. 

The  harvest  truly  is  great,  but  the  laborers  are  few;  pray  ye, 
therefore,  the  Lord  of  the  Harvest  that  He  will  send  forth 
laborers  into  His  Vineyard. 

Under  date  of  1913  we  may  insert  the  following  taken  from 
Dr.  Mosely’s  latest  report  of  the  work  in  eastern  Cuba: 

“Notwithstanding  the  race  riot  and  the  elections,  and  the 
consequent  disturbed  condition  of  the  island  for  six  months, 
there  has  been  a  notable  advance  along  all  lines.  The  number 
of  baptisms  is  larger  than  last  year.  We  have  built  only  one 
chapel  this  year,  but  have  repaired,  at  considerable  cost,  many 
of  the  churches  built  eight  or  ten  years  ago.  The  churches 
have  assumed  a  definite  part  of  the  support  of  our  work,  making 
themselves  responsible  this  year,  1913-1914,  for  $1,200.00, 
besides  paying  their  expenses  and  the  Association  Missionary. 

“In  eastern  Cuba  we  now  have  53  organized  churches; 
78  stations;  missionaries  (not  native)  7;  missionaries  (native)  27; 
teachers  in  missions  and  schools,  31;  church  members,  2,939; 
Sunday  School  pupils  in  our  56  Sunday  Schools,  2,396;  teachers 
in  Sunday  Schools,  150;  chapels,  37;  valuation  of  church  prop¬ 
erty,  $115,000.00;  valuation  of  school  property,  $50,000.00; 
number  of  colleges  and  high  schools,  1 ;  primary  schools,  13. 

“The  colleges  at  El  Cristo  have  had  the  best  attendance  in 
their  history,  and  everything  has  moved  along  smoothly  and 
satisfactorily.  Our  theological  department  has  been  larger  than 
ever  before.  This  year  we  shall  send  out  five  of  our  young  men 
into  the  mission  field.  This  constant  reinforcement  of  well- 
trained  young  men  must  tell  in  the  improvement  and  solidification 
of  our  church  work. 


5° 


“We  have  established  this  year  five  new  primary  schools,  as 
follows:  Veguita,  Camaguey,  Palma  Soriano,  San  Jose  de  la 
Plata,  and  Baire.  Nearly  all  of  these  schools  pay  their  native 
teachers  and  all  of  their  running  expenses.  The  Woman’s 
American  Baptist  Home  Mission  Society  has  given  us  our 
American  teachers,  with  the  exception  of  two,  and  these  two  we 
are  paying  from  the  income  of  the  schools,  as  well  as  salaries 
of  the  native  teachers.  Wherever  we  have  established  one  of 
these  schools,  we  find  that  it  has  increased  the  attendance  in 
the  Sunday  School  and  church  and  given  us  entrance  into  many 
homes  which  were  formerly  closed  to  us.  The  parents  of  the 
children  are  glad  to  have  them  come  to  our  schools  and  have 
them  learn  English  along  with  other  things.  They  appreciate 
the  discipline  we  have  established,  our  system  of  instruction,  our 
care  in  the  moral  development  of  their  children.  Not  only  do 
our  primary  schools  help  the  local  churches,  but  they  give 
tone  to  all  of  our  work  and  prepare  the  children  for  our  colleges  at 
El  Cristo.  Many  fanatical  Catholics  would  never  think  of 
sending  their  sons  and  daughters  to  El  Cristo  had  they  not  first 
sent  them  to  our  primary  schools.” 

The  co-operation  of  the  Woman’s  American  Baptist  Home 
Mission  Society  is  an  important  feature  in  the  development  of 
missions  in  Cuba.  There  are  now  in  the  employ  of  the  society 
seven  teachers  in  the  different  schools  and  six  field  workers, 
and  the  number  is  gradually  being  increased  as  the  work  pro¬ 
gresses. 

WHAT  CAN  I  DO? 

What  do  you  wish  to  do?  The  question  comes  directly  to 
the  young  women  in  the  rank  and  file  of  the  Baptist  churches. 
In  the  survey  of  the  conditions,  the  possibilities  and  the  oppor¬ 
tunities  presented  in  this  little  volume,  is  there  not  an  appeal 
to  the  Christian  young  womanhood  of  the  United  States  as 
represented  in  our  denomination?  There  are  now  in  the 
mission  field  in  Cuba  seven  young  women  serving  as  teachers 
and  six  as  missionaries  or  field  workers.  They  have  gone  as  the 
representatives  of  the  board  of  the  Woman’s  American  Baptist 
Home  Mission  Society  to  serve  the  Master  in  this  distant  island. 
A  salary  that  enables  them  to  live  comfortably  with  economy  is 
provided.  For  this  compensation  the  board  must  look  to  the 


circles  and  the  young  women’s  societies  as  the  basis  of  the 
support.  How  much  are  you  investing  in  this  enterprise  for 
the  extension  of  the  Kingdom  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ?  You 
may  have  the  joy  of  knowing  that  you  have  a  share  of  the  profits 
if  you  are  sharing  the  responsibilities.  What  shall  your  answer 
be? 


And  when  you  have  led  your  young  woman’s  society  to  the 
point  of  giving  to  the  work  that  is  helping  Cuba  to  become 
strongly  Christian,  how  shall  you  give? 

Let  every  young  woman’s  society,  or  every  individual  young 
woman,  determine  that  she  will  try  to  give  during  the  year  a 
weekly  or  a  monthly  offering  and  send  it  at  least  quarterly  to  the 
Woman’s  American  Baptist  Home  Mission  Society,  which  has 
assumed  the  responsibility  of  receiving  these  funds  and  making 
sure  that  our  missionaries  do  not  want. 

And  as  you  give  you  must  pray.  “More  things  are  wrought 
by  prayer  than  this  world  dreams  of.”  The  power  of  these  lives 
comes  through  personal  intercession  together  with  our  prayers 
for  them.  The  result  of  their  efforts, —  the  souls  who  come  to 
know  the  Lord,  Christ  —  come  in  answer  to  these  prayers.  Let 
us  remember  our  missionaries  daily  and  ask  our  Father  to  give 
to  them  great  wisdom  and  strength  and  to  the  people  a  strong 
desire  to  learn  the  of  Way  of  Life. 

You  must  feel  a  personal  interest  in  our  missionaries  in  Cuba. 
If  your  own  sister  had  gone  to  another  country  you  would  think 
of  many  loving  messages  to  send  her  and  of  many  pretty  and 
useful  things  that  you  could  provide  for  her  which  would  add  to 
her  comfort.  You  would  watch  for  the  mail  that  would  bring 
news  of  her  and  you  would  think  of  her  often.  Our  missionaries 
rejoice  to  know  that  we  love  them  and  think  of  them  and  pray  for 
them.  They  like  good  letters  and  pretty  things  for  their  homes 
and  for  themselves.  They  sometimes  grow  lonely  and  homesick. 
Can  you  not  brighten  these  dark  hours  and  add  to  the  cheeriness 
of  the  bright  hours  by  your  personal  interest  lovingly  expressed? 


52 


Perhaps,  too,  you  can  help  to  equip  the  Sunday  school  or  the 
industrial  school  or  send  the  missionary  some  materials,  or 
pictures,  which  can  be  carried  by  mail,  that  will  open  to  her 
the  homes  and  the  hearts  of  the  people  and  help  her  to  preach  the 
gospel  to  them.  Of  course,  English  papers  or  books  would  not 
help  her,  as  the  people  speak  and  read  Spanish,  but  sometimes  she 
can  use  the  brightly  colored  picture  cards  and  the  picture  rolls 
from  our  Sunday  schools.  And  in  the  industrial  schools  she  can 
use  raffia,  beads,  colored  ginghams,  checked  ginghams,  and  colored 
darning  cotton  for  pillow  covers,  stamped  pieces  for  embroidery, 
Battenberg  braid,  embroidered  shirtwaist  patterns,  materials  for 
doll  dresses,  and  other  goods  upon  which  the  children  can  work. 
Consult  the  column  in  Missions,  called  “Wants  of  Missionaries,’’ 
in  the  Woman’s  American  Baptist  Home  Mission  Society’s 
department,  and  see  what  they  need.  And  if  materials  are  sent, 
we  must  always  remember  to  send  them  prepaid  so  that  our 
missionary  will  not  have  to  pay  charges.  Materials  for  Cuba  can 
best  be  sent  by  mail  in  small  parcels,  postage  paid. 

One  more  thing  you  can  do  for  our  missionaries  in  Cuba. 
That  is  to  inform  and  interest  other  people  concerning  them  and 
their  work.  Some  one  who  can  help  much  more  largely  than  you 
can  may  come  to  know  our  missionaries  through  the  word  which 
you  speak.  Some  of  the  children  and  young  people  about  us  may 
hear  the  call  of  God  to  go  to  Cuba  and  do  the  work,  and  others 
may  remain  at  home  to  strengthen  the  missionary  power  of  the 
church  if  you  are  faithful  to  the  “Go  tell.’’ 

QUIZ. 

1.  How  many  missionaries  do  we  now  have  in  Cuba,  and 
where  do  they  work?  Tell  all  you  can  of  their  work. 

2.  Tell  all  you  can  of  the  early  lives  of  these  young  women 
and  what  led  them  to  give  themselves  to  this  work. 

3.  What  part  are  the  young  women  of  America  to  have  in 
this  work? 


53 


